The Election SOS newsletter is a dedicated resource for journalists covering the 2020 election and its aftermath. We provide critical resources to help with your coverage, safety and service.
Election SOS: 2020 Highlights
Democracy isn't seasonal, and we will continue to support journalists around the country in their coverage of Georgia Senate runoffs as we all the current transition period. But as the year 2020 wraps up, and some of our initiatives are winding down - Election SOS fellowship ended last Friday - we are taking time to reflect on the process, results, and highlights of the year.
The biggest highlight of this election season is you - journalists - and all the incredible work you've done this year protecting the democracy and informing the public. As we move into holidays we hope you get to relax and celebrate your wins.
Election SOS newsletter is taking a break next week, and we'll see you in 2021!
Making a Difference: Looking Back at Election SOS Fellows Serving Democracy
Thirty-nine young journalists worked with 20 newsrooms across the country as a part of our Election SOS Fellowship program. What started as the spark of an idea soon grew into a full-blown fellowship that our team created in less than two weeks. Now, we’re celebrating a bittersweet moment as we say goodbye to the Election SOS fellows. In a matter of months, some went from having zero articles to their name to a full portfolio covering the 2020 general election, and others learned to mine social media and data for stories, becoming an integral part of their newsrooms. Read on to learn about the incredible work they did and the big moments from the program. You can also check out our Twitter Thread highlighting their work.
Election SOS Trusted Elections Expert Network: After The Count
In just five weeks as part of the lead-up to the 2020 Election, Election SOS and The American Press Institute gathered more than 270 experts into a diverse and powerful directory to provide journalists with reliable sources for their election coverage. This Election SOS Trusted Elections Experts Network is one of the several anticipated needs and tools we imagined journalists, newsrooms and journalism schools would need to cover the volatile 2020 election. We created this project to feature important research that doesn't have PR, to save newsrooms time and resources and more. Read on for other project's takeaways and some of the top experts to connect with today.
Pitch This: The best questions asked by newsrooms during the 2020 election
The Pitch This Database was born with the goal to serve reporters who are on a deadline, searching for inspiration, or just need a bit of a break. Our Pitch & Story Database coordinator read 41 newsletters each morning and built a “local news politics Twitter bot” to daily provide journalists with public-centered and engaging pitch ideas. Read to get more insight to behind the process and a full list of favorite questions/story ideas from the 2020 elections.
11Alive Executive Producer Erin Peterson verified almost 5 million votes in Georgia, a not so small feat. We caught up with Peterson, who explained her verification process and what journalists can learn for future elections.
The American Press Institute hosted a workshop looking back at examples and lessons from the 2020 elections. If you missed the webinar, they live-tweeted top highlights and lessons from seven local newsrooms. Read on for takeaways like this one from The Philadelphia Inquirer: "Your audience is not where you think they are."
Follow best practices for journalists covering crises on Twitter, including advice like: relay frequent and factual updates, repeat information to ensure it does not get drowned out in the volume of tweets related to the crisis, and have staff available to answer the public's questions on social media.
The widening political divide correlates with a decline in trust in media. There is a growing need for journalists to actively demonstrate credibility in order to earn back the community's trust. The Trusting News team is hosting a month-long online course to teach journalists research-backed strategies for earning trust. Applications close on Jan. 4, 2021.
The steps necessary to determine an electoral-college winner are normally conducted with little fanfare or public attention. But they have been closely watched this year amid a baseless, weeks-long campaign by President Trump to overturn the election results.
A state-by-state look at the turnout data shows that the numbers weren’t large but were substantial enough to potentially sway a local race or a tighter election. It also shows a messy national picture, with chaotic regulations and poor record-keeping.
Experts and those in both parties generally agree that slight shifts in turnout will determine who wins these two races on Jan. 5, given how close the results were for the presidential and Senate contests in the general election.The NBC analysis found that 67,135 newly registered voters with no general election vote history were added to the list of potential voters for the upcoming runoffs.
Across the United States, many areas with large populations of Latinos and residents of Asian descent, including ones with the highest numbers of immigrants, had something in common this election: a surge in turnout and a shift to the right, often a sizable one.
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